Lincoln

Lincoln's population expanded between the last two censuses. At the same time there were changes in marriage, jobs and religion.

The population reached nearly 94,000

In the decade leading up to the most recent census, the population of Lincoln increased by 9.3%, from just under 85,600 to 93,500.

The addition of just over 7,900 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Lincoln was home to, on average, 19 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the East Midlands

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the East Midlands, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

A younger Lincoln

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Lincoln decreased by one year, from 35 to 34 years.

This city had the third-lowest average age in the East Midlands and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just under 5,600 people between the ages of 20 and 29 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 1,000.

About 20% of people in Lincoln are aged between 20 and 29 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, East Midlands and Lincoln by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in Lincoln

Lincoln saw England's largest rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership.

In 2011, just over 4 in 10 (44%) people aged 16 and over in Lincoln said they were single, compared with 34% in 2001. The percentage that said they were married decreased from 44% to 37%.

Newcastle upon Tyne saw England's next largest rise in the proportion of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership (from 38% to 47%).

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership in Lincoln increased by 9.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over in Lincoln, the East Midlands and England that said they were single, March 2001 and March 2011

More students

Lincoln saw England's second-largest rise in the proportion of students.

During this period, Lincoln overtook 21 local authority areas, including Welwyn Hatfield and Winchester, to become the English local authority area with the fourth-highest percentage of students.

In 2011, just under 1 in 14 (7.0%) people aged 16 to 74 in Lincoln said they were in education, compared with 3.7% in 2001. The percentage that were employed remained close to 51%.

England's largest increase in the proportion of students occurred in Newham (from 4.3% to 8.4%).

The percentage of students in Lincoln increased by 3.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Lincoln, the East Midlands and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Lincoln

The number of people in Lincoln that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 14,000 in 2001 to about 30,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 17% to 33% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across the East Midlands (from 16% to 27%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Lincoln that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 63,000 in 2001 to about 54,000 in 2011 (from 74% to 58%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from about 6,900 to about 6,700 (from 8.0% to 7.1%).

About 900 people (0.4%) said they were Muslim, up from just over 360 in 2001 (1.0%).

The population without a religion in Lincoln increased by 16 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, East Midlands and Lincoln by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Lincoln that rented privately increased from 11% to 21% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just over one in five (22%) households lived in social housing, compared with 23% in 2001. The percentage of Lincoln households that owned their home decreased from 63% to 55%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased faster here than the figure for the whole of the East Midlands (from 8.5% in 2001 to 15% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.9% to 17%.

Private renting in Lincoln increased by 9.6 percentage points

Percentage of households in Lincoln, the East Midlands and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

↑ Back to the top

Area report data

Related links